The character of Dorothy Petrillo was born in Brooklyn, New York where her parents, (Sophia and Salvador Petrillo), settled after moving to the US from their former home in Sicily.

Dorothy married Stan Zbornak (played by actor Herb Edelman ), when she became pregnant as a teenager. Although they are now divorced, Stan is still around. She is tall, with white hair and has an amazingly deep-voice. She works in the Miami area as a substitute teacher and has to cope with her mother Sophia's many attempts to get her married to any available man.

Apparently, the character was named after the shows 2nd stage manager at the time, Kent Zbornak. Kent was Susan Harris's assistant when she wrote the pilot. I am told that he is now a producer of NBC's "Newsradio"

Actress Bea Arthur, (whose real name is Bernice Frankel), was born on the 13th May 1923 and just like her character Dorothy, she too was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Unlike Dorothy, Bea is very shy. "My problem is my size. People expect me to be in charge because I am so tall. I look the part. On stage I'm absolutely omnipotent but really I'm neurotically shy".

She has numerous stage credits, including Woody Allen's "The Floating Lightbulb", "Fiddler On The Roof", "The Threepenny Opera" and "Mame" for which she won a Tony award. She has also starred in a number of films including "Lovers And Other Strangers", "That Kind Of Woman" and "Mame" again! Following her hit TV series "Maude" and "Amanda" (inspired by the lunacy of "Fawlty Towers"), she took a break from acting to look after her unwell mother.

She obtained a divorce when her husband of twenty nine years, (director Gene Saks), ran off with another woman, leaving Bea to raise their two boys. Nowadays, she often leaves her home in Brentwood, California to return to her beloved New York for a theatre fix! She is a keen charity worker.

You can write to Bea at:- 2000 Old Ranch Road, Los Angeles, CA 90035

Click here to visit the Beatrice Arthur Website